Handcrafted Fine Korean Pottery Tableware

Korean party food served with white porcelain plates and bowls, photo by Huue Craft

Today our little excursion to Korean pottery art and its history is brought to you by Huue Craft.

I’m going to talk about beautifully handcrafted fine Korean pottery tableware today. Ever sine I started food blogging, I became obsessed with tableware. Whether it’s a simple side dish or soup, choosing appropriate tableware is a very important part of food photography. It affects the overall mood and atmosphere of food. Also you will probably decide whether or not you are going to try out my recipe based on this perceived look. Right?

Sometimes, though, particularly with Korean food, I think it is very difficult to express what the food really represents using western style tableware. In particular, traditional Korean food is known to be earthy, natural and healthy. And what better way to reflect this image than using handcrafted fine Korean pottery tableware?

Huue Craft kindly sent these beautiful earthy, elegant but modest handcrafted Korean plates and bowls for My Korean Kitchen. When I first opened the box I thought they don’t look anything like tableware. They look like art! The more closely I look at them and the more I touch around the rims of the plates and bowls, they really feel more like luxurious pottery.

Carved potter’s signature at the back of a bowl

Sky blue plates and bowl. Colours look similar to celadon, but they are not.

The tableware I received are made with white porcelain (Baekja, 백자) and buncheong (분청). They also carry celadon (Cheongja, 청자) types but I didn’t ask for them. Big regrets here! 😉

Now I want to quickly move the focus on to historically famous Korean celadon and buncheong. If you are an avid art lover or interested in Korean pottery, you have probably heard of them.

Celadon (Cheonja, 청자) is a term for ceramics denoting both a type of glaze and a ware of celadon (color). It is normally pale green-blue in colour. It was a very popular type of ceramic in the Goryeo (고려) dynasty in Korea (10th to early 13th century).

Buncheong bowl with lid and buncheong square plate

On the other hand, Buncheong (분청) is a form of Korean traditional stoneware, with a blueish green tone. It was very popular in the early Joseon (조선) dynasty replacing celadon in common use. However once white porcelain (Baekja, 백자) was introduced in the early 16th century, the use of buncheong dramatically diminished . (Wikipedia)

Mix of buncheong and celadon – I think this would be perfect for serving Korean tea and dessert

White porcelain plates and bowls

When I was learning Korean history back in my middle school and high school days in Korea, I always thought celadon and buncheong was only for a fancy decorative vase or a statue. It didn’t cross my mind that you could actually use them for day to day living at a dining table. I think the history textbooks should pay more attention to the life of the general public not just famous people or some fancy artifact. That way, we can all relate better and remember more of our past. What do you think?

White porcelain and Korean celadon table setting, photo by Huue Craft

Now back to the tableware I was sent by Huue Craft – Amazingly, all of their handcrafted tableware are dishwasher and microwave safe. Also most of the products are oven safe. Talk about practicality, right? Anyway, I’m very thrilled to use these plates and bowls for my up coming recipes.

Huue Craft is an online store based in Seoul, Korea that specialises in handcrafted finest Korean pottery tableware. Their tableware is crafted by five of the most renowned Korean potters in the country. They also ship to over 25 different countries. Check out their website for your Korean kitchen table inspiration. Thank you Huue Craft for sponsoring our post today!

P.S. Huue Craft is also part of an art gallery (Gallery Huue) based in Singapore. They specialise in Korean contemporary art and craft. You are able to browse and buy the same Korean pottery tableware as the online store directly from the gallery.

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Hello Sue! I am traveling to Seoul in a few days and I was wondering if you knew any good stores for Korean hand-made tableware? Others have told me to go to Icheon but I would like to stay in the city if possible. Thank you in advance!

Hi Susan, Indeed Icheon would be the best place to get Korean tableware as you will have more options. However, if Seoul is the only option, you can try Hyundai Department store in Gangnam (Trade tower). 화소반 is a very well known premium Korean tableware company and based on my quick research their tableware is available at this department store. (Level 9) Hope this helps!

Have you ever heard of a Korean brand called Yeaga? I was given two gorgeous deep soup bowls and I would love to locate more but j can’t seem to find even a single ounce of information about its existence anywhere online!!